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Overview

Follow a family and the youngest member's favorite sock monkey through all the inner and outer workings of an airport.

In a book that is as intriguing as it is useful and entertaining, we follow a family on its way through the complexities of a modern-day airport. From checking bags and watching them disappear on the mysterious conveyor belt, to security clearance and a seemingly endless wait at the gate to finally being airborne.

But wait! There's more! The youngest family member's sock monkey has gone missing. Follow it at the bottom of the page as it makes a journey as memorable as that of the humans above.

Product Details

About the Author

Lisa Brown is the New York Times bestselling author/illustrator of a number of books for young readers including How to Be and Vampire Boy's Good Night and The Latke That Couldn't Stop Screaming. She also illustrated the critically acclaimed Emily's Blue Period for Roaring Brook Press. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Daniel Handler, and their son. The Airport Book is Lisa's second book for Roaring Brook Press.

Editorial Reviews

Although it's raining when we enter the soothing white pages of The Airport Book…our…trip to…Nana and Grandpa's…will prove anything but dreary…With a stylish wit that distinguishes many titles she's previously touched…Brown lovingly arranges each traveler and keenly considered cluster of luggage like bright pebbles along the banks of the Nile. From a be-trenchcoated sculptor to that businesswoman forever blathering on her phone, to the hopeful limo driver still waiting for Amelia Earhart to arrive, this book reads like a Zen travel guide for Martians, Visigoths or any young reader not yet familiar with modern air travel.

The New York Times Book Review - Rowboat Watkins

02/15/2016Brown (Mummy Cat) traces an airplane journey through the eyes of a family: two parents, a son, and his toddler sister. The title page introduces the device on which the story hangs as the parents tell each other not to forget the toddler’s favorite stuffed animal; separately, readers see the girl cramming Monkey into her mother’s suitcase. Brown follows them to the airport departure area, filled with individuals and families that readers see throughout: “There are lots of people saying lots of goodbyes. Sometimes they hug. Sometimes they cry.” Despite the sister’s consternation, readers see Monkey traveling safely (and having a close encounter with a friendly dog) with the luggage while the family sits in the cabin above. More than just an introduction to the airport, the story is a look at the wide world itself. The biracial family encounters dozens of strangers—old, young, familiar, foreign—and observes their idiosyncracies (“Blah blah blah” says a woman who’s perpetually on her phone). Amusing Easter eggs abound, and Brown’s calm delineation of the mysteries and mundanities of air travel should reassure reluctant travelers. Ages 5–7. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy, Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (May)

Publishers Weekly

"Brightly colored people and baggage fill double-page spreads, nudging readers to look closely at faces, stances, attitudes, and activities to spin narratives for the travelers. Strategically placed text, with modest typeface and subtle sizing, makes the story-building straightforward and the busy pictures navigable. Instructional, comforting, and threaded with multiple air-travel story strands, this travelogue delivers at many altitudes."Kirkus Reviews, starred

"Planes fascinate children, and there is no shortage of books to develop that interest. There’s always room for one more, especially one this good. VERDICT A must-buy for most libraries. "School Library Journal, starred

"Whether kids are readying for their first plane trip, wondering where parents go after they’re dropped off at the terminal, or just looking for some imagined travel, this will set them on the runway."Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred

"This is one of those books you could look at forever and never run out of new things to notice, smile at, and fold into the next reading. Sky-high in concept, execution, and kid appeal; the only airport book you’ll ever need."Horn Book, starred

"Amusing Easter eggs abound, and Brown’s calm delineation of the mysteries and mundanities of air travel should reassure reluctant travelers. "Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2016PreS-Gr 2—Nobody knows what's become of Monkey except the preschooler who packed him, tail protruding from the zipper of her suitcase. And so Brown begins this brilliant little book that weaves a Knuffle Bunny-esque narrative into an expository introduction to air travel. It's raining in the city, and a mixed-race family of four take a cab to the airport on their way to see the grandparents. The first page shows a single car on a long, flat drive to their destination, but the page turn opens up to the chaos of the airport itself. Brown bumps up our interest by following several groups of passengers as she takes readers through the procedures and places in an airport, from drop-off to pick-up. There's the soccer team, a cranky old woman and her complacent husband, and a family of look-alike redheads. At check-in, security, and the gate and on the plane, careful readers will notice Monkey making a parallel journey. Each page offers a simple narrative reflection of the India ink and watercolor illustrations in text small enough not to distract from the page's visual impact. Well-placed speech bubbles create personalities for an airport's vast cast. The girl and her monkey are reunited at the end of the trip, and readers have learned what to expect when they fly. Planes fascinate children, and there is no shortage of books to develop that interest. There's always room for one more, especially one this good. VERDICT A must-buy for most libraries.—Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence

School Library Journal

★ 2016-02-17This good-humored introduction to air travel follows a multiracial family (black dad, white mom, two brown kids) through the airport, down the jetway, and onto their plane. Each step receives cleareyed treatment. Vivid ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture the lines, bag checks, security screenings, surreal little village of restaurants and shops within the terminal, and finally the waiting alongside other travelers who stretch, bicker, bob to music, babble on the phone, sleep, and listen for their boarding group to be called. Explanatory narration in the second-person is filtered through the lens of the family's older sibling. It eases readers through these experiences, reassuring them with clarity, candor, and repeated words, most often the word sometimes, which emerges as a comforting acknowledgement of expected variance. "Sometimes you get something to drink. Sometimes you get something to eat. / Sometimes there is a movie to watch. Sometimes there are people to talk to. / Sometimes the plane is bouncy, but most of the time it is smooth." Readers drift along with the easygoing voice, much like a traveler gliding along a moving walkway. Brightly colored people and baggage fill double-page spreads, nudging readers to look closely at faces, stances, attitudes, and activities to spin narratives for the travelers. Strategically placed text, with modest typeface and subtle sizing, makes the story-building straightforward and the busy pictures navigable. Instructional, comforting, and threaded with multiple air-travel story strands, this travelogue delivers at many altitudes. (Picture book. 2-6)

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